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Roast Turkey with Cream Gravy

When it comes to the Thanksgiving centerpiece, most people aren't looking for a lot of bells and whistles—they simply crave a big, juicy bird with golden skin. This recipe delivers. Cream gives the gravy, which is equally straightforward to prepare, a velvety lushness that your guests won't soon forget.

Equipment: a 17- by 14-inch flameproof roasting pan with a flat rack; kitchen string; a 2-quart measuring cup or a fat separator

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Preparation

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and season inside and out with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Fold neck skin under body, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with string. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.

Add 1 cup water to pan and roast, without basting, rotating pan halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of each thigh (test both; do not touch bone) registers 165 to 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours total.

Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into pan. Transfer turkey to a platter (reserve juices in roasting pan) and let rest, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 170 to 175°F). Discard string.

Make gravy while turkey rests:

Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-quart measure and skim off fat (or use a fat separator), reserving fat. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add remaining 1 1/2 cups water and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Strain through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices. Add enough turkey giblet stock to pan juices to bring total to 5 cups.

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Recent Reviews

This was the best turkey we have ever had! I actually used the preparation for a breast, adjusting the time by using a meat thermometer. It was meant to be an "extra" for Thanksgiving night sandwiches and leftovers for the weekend. My family devoured it--not a morsel left for anything after the sandwiches. All of us LOVED it--moist, juicy, tender, simple and perfect. The gravy was quite good too--I used it for the main meal. Very flavorful and simple. I am usually a failure at gravy , but this was delicious, a great consistency and easy.

A Cook from New Orleans /

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I cooked my turkey on Tuesday night, before Thanksgiving at 450 degrees which made my turkey mahogany colored in about 40 minutes. I had to cover it with foil and turn down the heat to 350. When the probe registered 165 in both thighs, it was about about the time specified, almost 2 hours. The meat may have been cooked, but the meat was not juicy, the joints were red, and difficult to move. This happened to me last year also with the turkey with truffles from Gourmet. I'm going back to a slow oven method, about 325 degrees, for moist juicy turkey.
Sadly, my similar comments from last year no longer appear on the recipe.

kt_seattle from Seattle /

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Good basic Turkey Recipe, gravy is a taste thing you may need to season accordingly and may be done without giblets if wanted, we made both batches, both very good.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Poker Guys